4th and 2. Who gets it?Apologies if someone posted this, the story is a week or so old, I didn't see it anywhere, so will put up a link. Interesting article from Prairie State Pigskin about our RB situation. The article come off relatively positive, but somehow I wish I had a better feeling. I'm usually bullish on our young guys, but, something about this article felt like a splash of cold water!
Illinois State not lacking for Robinson replacements
The last time we saw Illinois State on the football field, James Robinson’s immense talent was on full display. The second-leading rusher in ISU history was plowing through defenses on his way to 601 yards in three FCS playoff games. “James is obviously a great player and very tough,” ISU head...www.chicagonow.com
Points to Proctor as the main man (of course) with a few comments about the supporting cast. Wish there was a little more in the way of insights.
way too true for my liking too .. I just went off on different tangent because 2016 looked so familiar. But that group had way more "butt in that backfield".Not much size there when we really need that 2yds. Who's running between the tackles? I wouldn't mind seeing if Pennington get's a shot in short yardage. He ran it a ton as a fullback in Cary-Grove's flexbone. Other than that there's not a lot of butt in this backfield.
Looking forward to finding out.
way too true for my liking too .. I just went off on different tangent because 2016 looked so familiar. But that group had way more "butt in that backfield".
The guy with most potential Phaleak Brown (current 200 lbs) or Ty Pennington (225 lbs). But your observation is dead on ... we sure have moved away from the big backs model Spack seemed to be moving towards since Coprich .... Robinson, Corbin, Birch, Markel Smith.
I know this is not in keeping with Coach Spack's usual offense but maybe instead of banging into the line on 4th and 2 like everybody expects...maybe a run/pass option...if Brady is back to full physical form. I thought I would play a little Devil's Advocate this morning! If Proctor is healthy he is probably the #1 back, he played well last year. I kind of like the variety of the backfield. Looks like more speed. JR was not slow but he was not a burner either. I wonder how well this stable of running backs can catch the ball? I think the offense was far too predictable in years past and being able to send out some speedy backs into the passing game will keep the defense a bit busier. They used JR as a receiver out of the backfield in the Shrine game and he had two receptions for 56 yards. The passing game struggled last year much in part due to injuries. to the QB and Receivers. If everyone is healthy the passing game could be a strength this year. If any of these RBs can catch the ball maybe a much more diversified attack than what we have seen in the past.4th and 2. Who gets it?
That would be great. I would feel better if he had a full off season with Lathrop.JR was listed at 210 lbs. as a freshman, maybe PhaLeak can add the 10 pounds and make us all feel a little better!
Not that it matters any .. but I saw that when I looked back to 2016 for the RB committee stats .... 210 lbs seems really off. I recall him being definitely heavier coming right out of HS. I think they changed this recently.JR was listed at 210 lbs. as a freshman, maybe PhaLeak can add the 10 pounds and make us all feel a little better!